stokebynightfandomcom-20200216-history
May 2002
Bureaucracy, Finance, High Society, Legal, Media, Police, Politics, Street, Underworld As quickly as it began, the increasing tide of violence in Newcastle seems to have come to an abrupt end, although Castelan are maintaining a watchful presence in the area in case troubles flare up once more. Both politicians and social commentators remain unsure as to the reasons for both the rise and subsequent decline, and attention is being paid to the continued presence of G8 Suppress in the city and whether the troubles were as a result of an anarchist agenda. Castelan have stated that they will continue with current policing levels in the area and politicians have not yet withdrawn the promised funding for the re-growth of the town. Finance, Industry, Media, Police, Politics, Transport Businesses in the Newcastle area have been left to pick up the pieces from the months of civil unrest in the area as local politicians argue about how the promised funds should be spent. All of this has been further enflamed by the recent local councillor elections, which further damaged the balance of power within the city as those who have supported Sean Bowden on his rise to power have now been removed from office. Meanwhile, many businesses continue to shut up shop in the city, afraid that the drop in crime may just be temporary. On a positive note however is the willingness of many taxi firms to take fares in to the town after their refusal to do so over the recent months. Finance, Health, Media, Politics, University Much as been made of the emergency diversion of funds in order to deal with the problems in Newcastle, particularly the effect upon the city’s health structure. For many years now, new funding has been promised for the health service and figured prominently in the pre-election promises of Sean Bowden. However, with Bowden out of the loop recently, other councillors were quick to divert the funding elsewhere seeing the venture as fruitless. This has left local universities at a distinct disadvantage, as both have invested heavily in medical research in hope of attracting new medical personnel to the area. With the outcome of the local councillor elections further dividing the political structure of the city it now seems likely that the arguments of the financing of such projects will continue. Media, Police, Street, Underworld Local media groups have been asked to delay the release of a story supposedly identifying the individual known as Sandernacht until further confirmation is gained. Castelan have apparently known the true identity for some time now, but have continued to gather evidence of his criminal activities before any action is taken. Castelan have promised that the media will have full knowledge of any action that is undertaken before it happens, somewhat at odds with their normal public persona. Whether this marks a turning point in Castelans relationship with the public remains to be seen, however given the secretive nature of the group and the continuation of the Sandernacht myth, it is likely to promote further discussion. Bureaucracy, Industry, Media, Transport What is the least likely form of transport to make a comeback? Trains are still popular and couriers still exist (although they’ve traded in their horses for bikes), leaving barges as the most likely answer. However, someone seems to be taking an interest in the canal network that criss-crosses Staffordshire, with a reported two hundred percent increase in traffic. It seems likely that the increase is tourism related, with water tourism being one of the few that wasn’t affected by the foot and mouth crisis. Many hope that the monies gained from the increase in tourism can be used for other projects within the city. Bureaucracy, Finance, Media, Police, Politics Following the recent violence in Newcastle, the terrorist action by G8 Suppress and the general of world politics when it comes to perceived terrorist action, it seems likely that the Public Order Bill will receive a thumbs up from local businesses and politicians. The bill, which has attracted claims of “closet dictatorship” from some quarters, will impose curfews on the movements of individuals at certain hours based on the judgement of local government and police forces. Given that Castelan and their predecessors Scarab have tried to impose curfew systems in certain parts of the city in the past, it is likely that the measures will receive a warm welcome from all relevant parties, especially given the nature of the prolonged violence in Newcastle over the past months. Street, Underworld With Castelan no longer focused on Newcastle, the opportunities for moving into the area seem rife, especially given that Sandernacht seems to be diverted elsewhere if the rumours surrounding the truth of his identity are to be believed. However, it is always wise not to write him off, a matter reinforced by his recent dealings with the Gambino family. Not many would be able to withstand such a direct use of muscle, but instead of folding under the pressure like others, he merely used the situation to his advantage and thus further cemented his position within the city. Bureaucracy, Finance, High Society, Media, Transport Construction work continues on the monorail, with plans for links with other more established forms of transportation now being implemented. It seems likely that the rail will be confined to the city centre itself and used as a means of attracting tourists to the area. However, some are dubbing it “The Phoenix Folly” and say that the project is far too costly and stands little chance of recouping its costs back afterwards. “What’s that you say….” Church, Media, Police, Politics Church leaders have come together to protest against the growth of racially motivated crime in the city and the apparent indifference of Castelan in dealing with such matters. No one wants to see riots like those of last summer again and the Church, along with representatives of the Jewish, Muslim and Hindu faiths, are keen to promote a sense of understanding rather than conflict in the city. Church, High Society, Media, University Findings at the supposed Roman settlement have been thrown into controversy after it emerged that the settlement was not in fact Roman but instead an as yet unknown tribe. Carbon dating has located the age of the settlement at around the time of the Romans, but the confusion is thought to have arisen after a number of bodies in Roman armour were found. The site appears to have formed some form of “killing pit” for captured prisoners, although rumours are also circulating that it could form the centre of a sacrifice, but this remains purely a fringe theory at the moment. Health, Media, Occult, Police Rumours continue of individuals showing advanced signs of a number of diseases, including Ebola, continue to circulate, with one individual apparently walking into the accident unit at Hartshill before promptly dying in the waiting room as blood poured from festering wounds across their body. So serious was the incident that Castelan had to be called to the scene to deal with the problem and the unit was quickly closed down and quarantined until the matter was dealt with. All individuals who had been in the vicinity were released shortly afterwards, but were unable to shed further light onto the events.